With free employee scheduling software, you get web-based and mobile options that you can use to create, manage, and publish staff schedules. Aside from helping you keep costs down, these free solutions are designed to streamline and digitize scheduling processes, so you no longer have to maintain and print spreadsheets that contain your employees’ work shifts.
Most employee scheduling solutions offer time tracking, leave management, team messaging, shift swapping, and an online schedule builder. Some even provide artificial intelligence (AI)-powered auto-scheduling tools and mobile apps that allow employees to access the software from anywhere.
Our top free employee scheduling software picks are:
- Homebase: Best overall for small businesses with one location that need unlimited scheduling and timekeeping tools
- 7shifts: Best for restaurants looking for simple scheduling and time clock solutions
- SocialSchedules: Best for companies in hospitality, retail, and service industries that assign shifts by position
If you are looking for scheduling software that offers more features and functionality than our free options, then we recommend the following affordable software that start with a free trial:
- When I Work: Best for new businesses that need auto-scheduling tools and a comprehensive HR solution
- ZoomShift: Best for businesses in the travel and tourism industry that need seasonal scheduling and time tracking for hourly employees
- Deputy: Best for scheduling shifts across multiple locations, including internationally
Free Employee Scheduling Software Compared
Free Plan Option | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 14-Day Free Trial | 7-Day Free Trial | 31-Day Free Trial |
Shift Swapping | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Mobile Accessible | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Multilocation Scheduling | ✔, addtl fee | ✔, addtl fee | ✔, addtl fee | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
PTO/ Overtime/ Break Scheduling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Geofencing/ Geotracking | ✔ | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Clock-in with Fingerprint, Badge, or Code | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Customizable Reporting | ✔ | ✕ | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Integration with Third-party Software | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ | ✔ |
Simple Intuitive Interface | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ |
Which Employee Scheduling Software is Best For My Small Business?
Take our quiz to find the best employee scheduling software to fit your industry and budget.
Homebase: Best Overall Free Employee Scheduling Software for Small Businesses
Homebase
What We Like
- The free plan includes employee scheduling, attendance monitoring, online time clocks, job postings, and applicant tracking
- User-friendly interface
- Can handle unlimited employees
What's Missing
- Free plan limited to one location only
- Geolocation tracking, geofencing, PTO accrual tracking, and overtime alerts are included only in paid plans
- Users report a lag in software from time to time
Pricing
Free plan:
- Covers one location and unlimited employees
- Comes with
Paid plans: Three plans (Essentials, Plus, and All-in-One); fees range from $14 to $70 per location monthly (if paid annually); premium tiers include budgeting and labor cost controls, PTO policies and accruals tracking, and onboarding tools
Add-on services:
- Job posting boosts (starts at $79 per job post)
- Payroll ($35 per month base fee plus $5 per active employee, per month)
- Access to HR advisers and resources ($99 per month for non-All-in-One plan subscribers)
What’s great about Homebase is that its free plan is feature-rich. Apart from scheduling and time tracking tools, you can use its platform to post jobs, track applicants, and communicate with team members. This is what makes Homebase a good option for small businesses, including retail stores and restaurants, as it provides basic recruiting features that other scheduling software, such as 7shifts, don’t offer—all at no cost.
You can even integrate point-of-sale (POS) and payroll solutions to its platforms. For small businesses that want to streamline employee pay processing, this is helpful as it prevents manual uploading of time data for payroll runs. However, you have the option to download Homebase’s timesheets as CSV files, in case you’re using a payroll service that will upload this data.
While Homebase doesn’t have an employee limit, its free option covers only one location. So, if you have a multilocation business, you need to upgrade to one of Homebase’s paid plans. Note that its monthly fee (starts at $14) is charged on a per-location basis. Plus, you have to pay extra for premium services, such as job post boosts, payroll, and expert advice from its “HR Pro” team.
Homebase Free Plan Features
- Online schedule builder: With its free plan, users receive a drag-and-drop functionality that includes shift preferences and availability. Additionally, there is a library of schedule templates that can be used to create daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. One of Homebase’s standout features (not found in 7shifts or SocialSchedules) is its auto-scheduling which will allow you to create a duplicate schedule.
- Recruiting tools: Homebase provides basic tools for recruiting candidates. You can post your open jobs to job boards, like Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Additionally, you can track applicants right from your dashboard, add screening questions to your job posts, and store documents such as staff forms.
- Ability to manage shifts: Users can manage all open shifts, shift swaps, and shift covers directly through the dashboard. The system will allow you to manage standard breaks and overtime settings for your state. Additionally, you can manage PTO requests that will show in the system when you create your schedules.
- Employee time tracking: Homebase has digital time sheets that allow for tracking employee time, as well as a time clock app for computers, tablets, POS devices, and smartphones. Unlike SocialSchedules, your employees can use pin code-based time-ins/outs. Additionally, for employees that work in the field, Homebase offers a GPS locator so you can tell where your employees are when they clock in and out.
- Offline mode: In case Wi-Fi is down, Homebase will record the time-ins/outs and sync these later to the virtual clock once the internet connection is restored.
- Unlimited Employees: While Homebase’s free plan is limited to only one location, there is no limit to the number of employees you can schedule. 7shifts and SocialSchedules’ free plans are only for one location and up to 10 employees.
7shifts: Best for Restaurants Needing Simple Scheduling & Time Clocking Solutions
7shifts
What We Like
- User-friendly interface
- Has all the basic scheduling and time tracking tools small restaurants need
- Offers a 14-day free trial for paid plans
What's Missing
- Free plan includes only one location and 10 employees
- Schedule templates, POS and payroll integrations, and shift data exports are available in paid plans only
- Occasional software glitches reported by users
Pricing
“Comp” plan: Free; covers one location and 10 employees; comes with basic scheduling and time tracking tools
Paid plans: Four options (Appetizer, Entree, The Works, and Gourmet) with monthly fees that start at $17.99 for 20 up to $69.99 for unlimited employees
Add-ons:
- Account setup ($150 one-time fee)
- Sales data import ($100 one-time fee)
- Task management ($12.99 per location, per month)
- Manager log book ($14.99 per location, per month)
- Operations overview ($6.99 per location, per month) to help you track and compare your multiple business locations’ sales, labor, and employee engagement data
7shifts offers a cloud-based platform to help you efficiently manage staff schedules and track time. Designed specifically for fast food and restaurant businesses, it has robust scheduling and communication tools that both employees and managers can use even while on the go.
However, for its free “Comp” plan, you are granted access only to its simple scheduling and time-clocking solutions. This includes staff scheduling notifications, shift trading, PTO requests, basic reporting, staff availability tools, and mobile app access. It is also limited to one location and 10 employees. You have to upgrade to a paid plan if you require multi-location scheduling and additional user seats.
The paid plans also include advanced reporting, payroll and POS integrations, overtime and break alerts, and employee clock-ins/outs through the mobile apps (iOS and Android). In addition, you have to pay extra if you want account setup assistance, sales data import, a monthly operations overview report, and task management.
7shifts Free Plan Features
- Customized scheduling: 7shifts provides an online schedule builder with drag-and-drop functionality that can be customized to fit your staff needs and departments. You can use schedule templates to create next week’s schedule, as well as track shift swaps and notifications.
- Staff availability management: You can track employee PTO requests and shift availability right through the dashboard. This will ensure your schedules are accurate and reduce the likelihood of missed shifts, or the need for shift swapping.
- Manager logbook: While Homebase and SocialSchedules both offer a manager logbook, 7shifts stands out due to its default setting of restaurant operations categories such as customizable shift notes and daily operations (customer complaints, maintenance issues, employee management and employee concerns).
- Integrations with third-party software: 7shifts integrates with an impressive 23 POS systems (top-ranked for the restaurant industry) and 13 payroll software services. Additionally, it integrates with a training solution software (ExpandShare) and HigherMe, a hiring app specifically designed for restaurants and retail.
- Mobile time clock apps: With the app, employees must provide facial recognition to clock in (preventing buddy punching). A geolocation feature is built in to prevent employees from clocking in before they have reached their destination.
- Health screening questions: Employees who are clocking in are asked a series of health-related questions to ensure the safety of your staff and patrons.
SocialSchedules: Best for Hospitality, Retail & Service Companies That Assign Shifts by Position
SocialSchedules
What We Like
- Easy to use
- Efficient scheduling and shift reminder tools
- Offers an online demo that’s free to access for 24 hours
What's Missing
- Free plan only covers one department, one location, and up to 10 employees
- Lacks live phone support
- Limited payroll integration options
Pricing
Basic: Free; includes one location, one department, up to 10 employees, and cloud storage of 28 days
Starter: $12.99 per location, per month (billed annually); includes two departments per location, unlimited employees, and cloud storage of seven years
Premium: $33.99 per location, per month (billed annually); includes five departments per location, unlimited employees, and cloud storage of seven years
Enterprise: Custom priced; includes unlimited departments and employees plus cloud storage of seven years
Setup assistance:
- Ruby package ($149 per location)
- System setup
- Employee data import
- Creation of company positions
- Manual format and import of up to 12-weeks historical sales data
- Sapphire package ($299 per location), includes Ruby package options plus
- Training sessions
- Configuration of compliance rules
- Integration to support POS/payroll solutions
With SocialSchedules (formerly OpenSimSim), you get a cloud-based employee scheduling software that’s position-based. This means that you have to indicate the position each employee has before you can create and assign shifts.
Its free plan has limited features where you can create schedules and track employee time for up to 10 staff—provided they belong in the same department and work in a single location. While you get free access to PTO management, time sheets, in-app messaging, and a tablet time clock, you have to subscribe to one of SocialSchedules’ paid plans if you want premium features (like shift confirmations, multi-location scheduling, POS integrations, advanced reporting, and a mobile time clock). Mobile apps is available on iOS and Android.
SocialSchedules Free Plan Features
- Schedule maintenance: SocialSchedules, like the other providers on this list, offers an online schedule builder with drag-and-drop functionality. It assists in tracking staff availability (including PTO management) and allows schedule planning by position. Additionally, you can create shifts for off-site addresses and remote staff.
- Compliance tools: You can remain compliant with labor and wage laws in your state by using rule-setting, alerts, and tracking features. Additionally, with one of its paid plans, the system will allow you to set pay rates, receive overtime and break alerts, and view activity reports.
- In-app messaging: You have the ability to send private and group messages through SocialSchedules, which includes unlimited chat history. You can send out schedules, approve shift swaps, and send and receive time-off requests. You can also set disclaimers (messages) that your employees must read and acknowledge before they can clock in/out.
- Availability management: You can manage your employee’s schedule availability right through the app and make necessary changes, including days off, times available, and locations preferred. Employees can create availability sets showing when they can work, and those availabilities can be set to repeat weekly.
- Day notes: Managers can leave day notes for employees, so they know which areas or locations they are working in. You can also lock days so employees can’t change shifts or take certain days off.
How We Evaluated Employee Scheduling Software
We compared several reputable providers that offer free software for creating and managing employee work schedules. We looked for essential features like overtime planning, shift swapping, time tracking, and reporting tools. We also evaluated some affordable, though not free, options that offer low monthly costs and free trials to get started.
To view our full evaluation criteria, click through the tabs in the box below.
15% of Overall Score
Aside from looking at whether the provider has transparent pricing for its paid plans, we checked if its scheduling solution can be accessed or purchased separately from the provider’s other software products. Homebase, 7shifts, and SocialSchedules all scored a 2.5 out of 5 in this category.
20% of Overall Score
The best scheduling software includes at least basic tools, such as shift swapping, overtime, break, and paid time off planning. Plus, having access to team messaging, multilocation scheduling, mobile apps, and a self-service portal are also ideal.
15% of Overall Score
10% of Overall Score
In addition to having access to standard and pre-built reports, users should be able to customize reports. Homebase offers customizable reporting for its users, as does SocialSchedules in its highest plan; 7shifts does not offer that feature.
15% of Overall Score
We determined if the software was ideal for a small business based on the cost of the plans beyond free, scheduling features, and if the software is easy to navigate. All software scored perfect for features and navigation; however, SocialSchedules fell behind in this category due to its increased pricing beyond its free plan.
20% of Overall Score
5% of Overall Score
We checked reviews that actual users left on third-party sites like G2 and Capterra. Based on these reviews SocialSchedules scored the only 5 out of 5 from users due to their seamless application without glitching errors.
Based on our evaluation criteria, we found Homebase to be the best option for small businesses, with a total score of 4.5 out of 5. Its free option lets you create schedules and track time for unlimited employees, provided they work in a single location. Unlike other free scheduling software, you also get hiring and team messaging tools, as well as POS and payroll software integration options—all at no cost.
Bottom Line
Employee scheduling software helps you create and provide work schedules for your staff, ensuring that you’re well-equipped during your business’ peak hours. Free cloud-based scheduling solutions often have communication and messaging tools to let employees swap work shifts and stay in touch. Although not free, some employee scheduling software will provide your business with additional features at an affordable cost. When determining which tool is right for you, you have to consider the size of your business, the number of employees, and any other factors that affect your scheduling needs.
